Guard Pass to Side Control to Mount

Last night in basics class we drilled the guard pass to side control. From there we drilled how to get to the mount from the knee on belly. That was a new move for me, so I drilled it this morning.

Here are the key points I remember:

1. Once in side control, get your knee under your opponents arm up to his armpit
2. Your hand under your opponents head grab the collar
3. The opposite hand grabs the opponents belt
4. You then pop up to the knee on belly
5. As your opponent attempt to push your knee off
1. Move your hand from his belt to under his arm with your forearm flat on the ground
2. Nearly simultaneously, base out with the hand that was behind his head
6. Walk your hand up past his head as you side your knee off his stomach to his armpit

Monday Morning Drilling

This morning I started getting up at 6am again. I had stopped for a week since I was going to bed a little later. I thought I would be able to stay with my same routine and just start my workout and meditation later, but that hasn't been the case. I need to get up early and make Jiu-Jitsu and Meditation the first thing I do in the morning. That way, no matter what happens later in the day, I will have gotten that done and got my day started on the right foot.

Today I drilled open guard passes to taking the back and open guard passes to the armbar. I also drilled sweeps from the closed guard to the armbar. I went back and forth with that for 30 minutes while listening to the Jocko Podcast #9. Listening to Jocko talk about discipline inspired me to get back to my early morning routine. It's not about finding a time that is convenient to do your workout, it's about making time for your workout, because that is what needs to happen.

Two Times

Today I rolled twice. I rolled once at the noon all-ranks class and again at the 7:30pm basics class. I'm bruised sore and tired, but it's so worth it. I love the cardio I get out of every class. Everything we do is practical and fun. Our warmups are Jiu-Jitsu moves for passing the guard, defending the guard or take downs. There are no wasted motions. Every moment of class is fun and exciting. Even when the sweat is dripping and my body feels like it can't go anymore, I'm still having a blast. An hour class flies by.

I have bruises on both my shins and calves from I don't know what. On my right leg I have a bruise deep inside the calve. That one I know how I got. That's from a knee that came down hard while my opponent passed my guard. I didn't feel it at the time, it just felt like a lot of pressure, but now it feels like a knot deep inside the muscle. I'm going to have to roll that one out.

I also have bruises on both my biceps from drilling the spider guard in the basics class. I'm not complaining though. I'm just pointing them out as badges of honor. I have no serious injuries. This is all part of the game. All part of the struggle to learn the art that may one day save my live. In the meantime, it will strengthen and tone my body into a lean mean fighting machine. Well worth the investment.

Swinging the Bell Again

Got back into swinging the kettlebell today after about a 2 month break. I stopped when I started Jiu-Jitsu since I was constantly sore after class. I didn't want to tax my body too much while I was getting used to the new motions. Now my body has adjusted a bit and soreness is not as much of an issue anymore.

Before I took a break I was swinging a 40lbs bell and trying to get myself up to 45lbs. Today I started light with 36lbs and it felt good. I think if I stick to 36lbs I should be able to swing it at least twice a week and slowly build myself back up to 40lbs comfortably.

My goal is to get fit, build muscle and collect as many of the custom onnit kettlebells as possible. The next one I would like to collect is the 44lbs Cyclops.

Defense Soap

I got some defense soap in the mail yesterday. I heard about it on Joe Rogan. It's supposed to help protect you from common funguses and bacteria which you can pickup from wrestling. Apparently, it's a real issue in Jiu-Jitsu. Some people have even died from poorly treated infections.

The soap is supposed to help preserve your skins natural oils and flora, which is your bodies best defense. In class, we were told that you should take a shower within 4 hours of rolling to prevent whatever you might have picked up from "sticking" to your skin. I guess that is the window before the fungus or bacteria can get a chance to really embed itself onto your skin. I also heard someone mention on the Joe Rogan show that you shouldn't shower 30 minutes before class since your skin flora needs time to recover.

I used the soap last night and enjoyed it. I have sensitive skin. If I don't use the right soap, I get really dry skin, so I am really picky about the soap I use. The soap doesn't really smell like anything other than a light oily smell. It doesn't have any perfumes or other flowery fragrances I can detect, but I have a poor sense of smell. It also seems like a really dense bar, so I think it will last while. Otherwise, it did the trick and got me feeling nice and clean.